Pride Wars: Forever by Your Side
by Byakuei
Summary: AU. Luka Mulberry is a freshman at Al-Revis Academy, the most prestigious magic school in the Kingdom. His lousy grades cause unrest among the students and try to expel him. While students are constantly at war with each other, Luka must protect his true identity at all costs - a girl by the name of Ulrika Myberg – even though the school is coed? MK1&2.


**A/N: New Story! Mana Khemia 1 &2 cast will be present. Main focus will follow Ulrika. The other characters will be students in the school as well. This is an alternate universe.**

 **Pairings: UlrikaxRoze. Other pairings undetermined.**

 **What you should know.**

 **-Al-Revis is not an alchemy school in this, but a magic school like magic spells and fights and stuff. The school has a ranking system that considers your grades, magic and battle scores.**

 **-Mana are still present and still act as partners.**

 **-I will not reveal Ulrika's true intentions yet, but this chapter serves as a look and hint as to what it really is. The connections will be made later through the story.**

 **PROLOGUE:**

* * *

Luka Mulberry had only recently started his freshman year at Al-Revis and already he was tired and angry and upset about everything. Classes were boring, the students were jerks and his shoes were missing.

Luka growled to himself as he shut his locker after taking out his bag.

It had been a month since school started and he was the target of pranks and unfair prejudice at his acceptance into the academy. Sure he wasn't book smart and for a boy he was girly and short, but none of that warranted all the harassment he was receiving. Missing text books, stolen shoes, and sometimes negative remarks were scribbled on his desk, but the worst so far was when he had been solely blamed for stealing the answers to a math test. Yeah, he was dumb, but he never stooped so low as to cheat.

It was past dusk when Luka finally finished cleaning underneath all the desks and chairs, the punishment he received for supposedly cheating. The only reason he hadn't been expelled so far was because the Professor Lorr felt it was unfair to expel him after only a month and also because he was slightly suspicious of the sudden accusations against the lad.

So after two grueling hours of no help scraping gum and junk off, Luka had overcome his first ordeal and now lost his shoes.

Despite the unfairness, Luka grinned wholeheartedly, beating the bitter students' with hard work and will power. It also earned him a nice shower after all the dirt and scum he scuffed off.

He returned to his dorm and grabbed his caddy and set out for the bathroom.

Luka sighed and relaxed, letting his guard down behind closed doors thanking the gods that each shower were separated into stalls. He also made sure to go in only when no one else was around and built a routine around it. In here with no one else around, he could be himself...herself.

Ulrika Myberg was her true name.

She had a very good reason for hiding her gender and she couldn't risk herself getting found out. In a place where connection matters the most, Ulrika had no choice but to create a false identity and hide her background. If anyone found out…if THEY found out, she would definitely lose everything.

The people at the top were indeed the rich and famous, yet few with inborn talent have also surfaced to the top from the academy.

She had a few connections herself, but her stay would ultimately be proven by her own skills. Still, her family friends helped to work out her back story and provide alibis in case she needed any. It was a big risk they were taking and one mistake would cost them severely probably ending them entirely.

To ensure that she didn't get caught, she cut her hair into a short bob and slightly swept bangs, dyed her blonde hair dark brown and wore brown contacts over her natural green eyes. She bound her already small chest and wore loose tops and boxers. She even practiced her speech and behavior for months before going in.

Ulrika was normally a positive person, although hotheaded at times, she would look towards the brighter side, but she allowed herself a moment to sulk a bit today.

It was an unfair world, she realized it years ago, but now that she was at Al-Revis, alone, it really made it clearer. She was here because of her connections and pretty much everyone else, but she didn't have anyone to rely on on the inside. Her survival would depend on her will and ability to persevere in this harsh and unfriendly setting.

Although she could not openly rely on anyone, she did however have a lot of faith in herself and her magical ally. Yes, that would be her main source of strength and that would be how she would win and astound them all even if it meant that she had to dress as a boy.

In a school where magic is the basics, her connection to it was astoundingly strong. She could not lose now after all, her fight had long begun and her place in this war of prides was absolute and she would be damned if someone denied her of it.

No, she won't let that happen. No one will deny her any more. No one will reject her for what she is, who she really is.

And no one will take away what is hers and should have been hers all along.

….What should have always been forever by her side.

No, not any more.


End file.
